The Outcast Princess
by MapleRose
Summary: Princess Relina of Bamarre was different. Because of this, she was an outcast. When she went to Kyrria to visit Prince Char, she may finally found someone who understands. The only problem was that Char's heart was promised to her new friend...
1. Not One or the Other

Disclaimer: Character and places you recognize belong to Ms. Levine. _Summary: Princess Relina of Bamarre was different. Because of this, she was an outcast. When she went to Kyrria to visit Prince Char, she may finally found two people who understood. The only problem was that Char's heart was promised to her new friend..._

~*~

Chapter 1 – Not One or the Other 

Princess Relina was different. 

She knew she was different as soon as she was old enough to understand words. Nobles and servants alike look at her differently and spread rumours about her. They knew that her birth was unnatural, and her white eyelashes despite her dark hair proved that.

When she was born, people suspected she was different. When she was five, she did something that confirmed people's suspicions.

It was on her fifth birthday, Relina got a beautiful doll that she had always wanted. She was so happy that she jumped for joy like any other five-year-old. But unlike any child, she floated off into the air. At first, she, along with everyone else, was surprised. Then the little girl became scared and began to cry. Her father, the king, realized what was happening. He flew after the drifting child and brought her down to earth while soothing her. When Relina was safely on the ground and had stopped crying, the king gave a merry laugh and said, "That's my girl!"

Relina knew then that she wasn't like anyone else. Humans were not supposed to fly; yet she had. She was also surprised that her father flew as well. When she got older, she understood that her father wasn't like anyone else either.

Her father Rhys was a sorcerer.

Her mother, Queen Adelina, Addie, was human like everyone else. So Relina was half human, half sorcerer.

At first, she didn't mind being half sorcerer. It was great fun to be able to fly, and she enjoyed watching her father do magic. But as she got older and listened to the gossip, she liked her sorcerer half less and less, until she hated it. She didn't like the wary and strange glances people gave her when they thought that she wasn't looking. She didn't like the names and hurtful things that people said her behind her back that she somehow heard, nor the fact that some just ignored her. She just wanted to be accepted.

The sorcerers wouldn't accept her either. There were a couple of apprentices at court, and occasionally, other apprentices and sorcerers came to visit. Those young ones, like the people at court, would either give her strange looks, or pretended that she wasn't there. They didn't like her because she was half human.

Relina was stuck in between. Neither the sorcerers nor humans accepted her because she was neither one nor the other.

As people made fun of her, she began to hate her parents. She hated her father for being a sorcerer, and her mother for marrying him.

Of course, nobody would make fun of Relina openly, because she was the princess. The people had nothing against the king and queen, as they were merry and fair. They also found the cure for the Gray Death and helped Bamarre get rid of its monsters. They spread rumours about their child because they thought it was unnatural and out of fear. They were afraid of Relina because they didn't know what such a combination was capable of. They said that Relina was a witch in disguise.

They also despised her because of jealousy. Relina was beautiful. She had long dark hair that waved at the end and huge emerald eyes. She was tall for her age, as was the characteristic of sorcerers. But rumours say that she was naturally ugly – how could someone who was half and half be pretty – but since her father was a sorcerer, he used magic to give his daughter beauty.

She was the only child in Bamarre to have a fairy godmother. Children used to have them, but they disappeared long ago. Now, only Relina had one – her aunt Meryl.

Relina couldn't tell her parents the things that she had heard. She didn't want to burden them, and she felt she couldn't confide in them. This was all their fault to begin with.

So when she was ten years old, the princess summoned her fairy godmother.

"Yes dear?" Meryl appeared beside Relina. But her smile turned to concern when she saw the said expression on Relina's face. 

"What's the matter?" she asked, putting an arm around the girl.

Relina shook her head softly, "Please, Aunt Meryl, erase the part of me that is sorcerer. I want to become human."

"Why?" Meryl asked gently.

The girl started crying. She could not tell her aunt, because surely, she will talk to her parents. But who else could help her?

Meryl knitted her eyebrows. She didn't need Relina to tell her. She knew what was going on, she was a fairy after all. She sighed and embraced the girl.

"It's all right dear. I understand – "

"Please, don't tell my parents!" Relina interrupted.

"Why not?" Meryl asked.

"I, I don't want them to worry."

Meryl sighed again. "Fine. But I cannot make you fully human."

"Why not?" Relina pulled out of Meryl's grasp and faced her. "You are a fairy, aren't you? So you can use your magical powers."

Meryl shook her head sadly. "I can't change who you are sweet." She then cupped her hands under Relina's chin and asked softly, "Are you ashamed of who you are?" Relina didn't answer, because she wasn't sure.

Meryl tried again. "Magic can be useful. Do you really hate being half sorcerer?" When Relina nodded her head, Meryl prompted, "What if people stopped talking about you, then would you still hate your sorcerer half?" Relina shook her head slowly.

"Could you make people stop talking about me then?" she asked softly.

Meryl's eyes were sad. "I'm sorry dear, I can't do that either."

"Then what are fairies good for!" the young princess ran from her room.

"Wait! Relina," Meryl went after her and grabbed her by the sleeve. "I can't make them stop talking, but you can choose not to listen. Relina!" The girl wasn't listening. She broke Meryl's hold and ran away, crying. Meryl stared after her and sighed. If only Relina could find her courage and self-confidence like her mother did… 

~*~

Relina's name is a combination of her parents' names. Rhys + Adelina=Relina. get it?

Please tell me what you think! I think I'm still going to focus on my other story "First Love", but I'll update this one as soon as I can.


	2. Trip to Kyrria

Chapter 2 – Trip to Kyrria 

Ever since that talk with Meryl, Relina lost her faith in fairies. She had nobody to turn to. Everyone at court, except for her parents and a few close friends, treated her like an outcast. There was nobody her age to talk to, and she didn't have any siblings either.

She could not ignore the comments like Meryl suggested. They were there everywhere she went. She'd even heard someone call her a mutt.

There was one boy, Brian, who at least smiled at the princess. Brian was the apprentice of the nurse, Milton the elf. He came to court not long ago. Although he knew from gossip about Relina, he was impressed and amazed instead of afraid or jealous. He loved magic and was determined to make friends with her.

Relina became timid. She swore that she would never fly again, or do any other magic. 

One year, when she was twelve, Relina fell sick. Brian was to take care of her. He used this chance to get to know her better.

Relina was shy and unsure at first. She couldn't trust anyone anymore. But Brian talked to her with kind words, and she loosened up. She had perhaps finally found a friend. However, befriending Brian had started more gossip. People shunned her more because Brian was a servant and she was a noble. Finally, Relina couldn't take it anymore. Despite Brian's efforts to tell her to ignore the comments, she took them to heart. She said a tearful goodbye to Brian and never saw him again until she was grown up.

Relina grew up like a proper lady because she felt that she didn't need to be any more different than she already was. She took up embroidery and dancing like a lady. She was really talented at embroidery, and her work could almost match her mother's. 

She was tutored privately. Her lessons include history, geography, economics, and of course, Drualt, the epic poem about the great hero of Bamarre. People had already started writing tales based on Queen Addie's adventures.

The girl was taught many languages, because it would be useful when she would be queen. She was primarily taught that Kyrrian. Relina didn't understand why she was learning the language of a distant place, but her language teacher told her that she needed to know because Kyrria was a powerful country, and it could be a potential ally for Bamarre.

When she turned fourteen, her parents started to search for a suitable husband for her. But like she predicted, none of the nobles would have her. They didn't want tainted blood in their children. Relina was lovely enough, though some suspected sorcery. Also, she was tall, as all sorcerers were. Princes and nobles wanted to marry a girl who would gaze up at him becomingly through her eyelashes instead of looking him in the eye. [A/N: I took that bit from the first book of EFC, Dealing with Dragons. I don't own that book, Ms. Wrede does.]

When she was sixteen, her parents decided that she needed to get out and see the world. Perhaps she could find her courage and self-confidence like her mother did.

They decided to send her to a finishing school in Jenn, in the country of Kyrria.

"Mother, Father, why do I have to go there? My manners are good enough, aren't they?" Relina pleaded, for she didn't want to go. She was afraid people there would make fun of her as well.

"Yes dear, your manners are quite good," answered King Rhys. "We want to send you there not only to learn manners, but also to meet girls your age. Besides, you can brush up on your Kyrrian." Relina's parents looked at their daughter in concern. Meryl told them vaguely about Relina's situation. She had suggested that maybe sending the girl to a new place and getting a new start would help her.

Relina hung her head. There was no use arguing. However, after hearing that she might make friends, she saw a glimmer of hope. The hope quickly diminished when she realized that nobody would be a friend. She didn't have any friends here, so what would going to a different location do? She just hoped that things would be better.

A week later, the carriage waited outside for Relina. The trip would take two weeks. The princess said her goodbyes, took a deep breath, and climbed into the carriage. She was hopefully off to a new start. 

~*~

sry for the short chapter, but at least the update was fast (for me anyway)


	3. New Friends

Chapter 3 – New Friends  
  
Relina looked out the window of her carriage and sighed. It was the end of the first week on the road. Her servants were starting to complain about the length of the trip. She had heard they talk to each other, asking why she couldn't make the route shorter since she was a witch. Their words hurt Relina a lot. She was hurt to see that even her most trusted servants shunned her.  
  
The princess looked at the baton on the floor of the carriage and sighed. She picked it up and examined it. She wanted to break it, but couldn't, for it was Father's farewell present. Rhys had wanted to encourage his daughter to be proud of her sorcerer half, so he gave her a sorcerer baton. He didn't teach her how to use it, for he had wanted her to figure it out herself.  
  
Relina didn't want the gift. She wanted to hide her - what she considered – ugly secret. She wanted a new start in the place where nobody knew the secret. Relina knew that she needed to find a safe hiding place for this.  
  
  
  
"Arg! This is stupid!" exclaimed the young girl. "What's the point of embroidery class anyway?" She threw down her work, frustrated, "I'll never get this."  
  
The girl beside her smiled. "That's because you need more practice Ella. It's not too bad once you get use to it."  
  
"Easy for you to say, you're so good." Ella looked at her friend's tiny stitches and sighed. "Besides, Sewing I don't get the point of finishing school. If it isn't for you Areida, I would've run away right after I arrives."  
  
Areida smiled gratefully. She was about to say something when Madame Edith, the headmistress, entered.   
  
"Here's a new friend for you girls – Relina of Bamarre." (Relina didn't tell the headmistress that she was a princess, because she wanted to fit in.) All the girls looked up from their work, stood and curtsied. When they sat down, Madame Edith stepped aside, and there, in the doorway was a shy-looking girl. Ella and Areida, along with every other girl in the room, studied her. The new girl was very tall with dark brown hair, and she was very beautiful. She looked like she had been travelling for quite a while. None of them had even heard of Bamarre and thought that it must be a distant place. The girl looked ordinary enough but for the ring of white eyelashes. She swept into a graceful curtsy that made even the best student envy.  
  
"Sit down miss, Sewing Mistress will tell you what to do." Madame Edith left the room.  
  
Relina stood in the doorway, not sure of what to do. She glanced around the room at the strange faces and was suddenly scared. Her Kyrrian wasn't that good yet, and she was sure her accent was horrible.  
  
Then, she saw a girl with dark hair and spicy green eyes smile at her and beckon her over to sit in the chair next to her. Relina smile gratefully and walked across the room.  
  
"I'm Ella," the girl said. Then she gestured at the girl next to her, "This is my friend Areida."  
  
The girl had cinnamon skin and curved-up lips. She smiled pleasantly, "Hi."  
  
"Hello," Relina smiled back. She had perhaps finally found friends.  
  
Sewing Mistress came over and gave her a needle, some threads, and a cloth with a pattern of a bouquet of flowers.  
  
Relina knew what to do. She threaded her needle and started working right away. Ella and Areida tried to get her talking. They talked and learned things about each other. Relina learned that Ella was a merchant's daughter from Frell, and Areida's family ran an inn in the neighbouring country of Ayortha. Relina told her new friends about Bamarre – mostly Drualt's adventures and her mother's, although she didn't tell them that Addie was her mother. She also didn't reveal that she was a princess, instead, she said that she was daughter of knight.  
  
Relina was half finished her work. Ella gawked at the flowers that Relina had sewn. They were beautiful, and they seem so real.  
  
"Wow, and I thought I was good at sewing," Areida said after peering at Relina's work.   
  
The new girl smiled. "Embroidery runs in the family, that's all. You don't want to hear me sing."  
  
"I can help you," Areida said.  
  
"Yeah, she's amazing at singing," Ella put in. "I'm not good at either. Manner Mistress hates me, even thought I have great manners."  
  
"Come on, Ella, don't lie," said Areida while trying to keep a straight face. She gave up and started to giggle, but stopped after getting a look from Sewing Mistress.  
  
Relina was a quiet person, so after getting to know one another, she was content to do her work. Ella and Areida gave up on trying to make her talk and talked to each other.  
  
Even though they were whispering, Relina had managed to hear some of the conversation. Her heart sped up when she heard them talk in what seemed like Bamarrian. Without thinking, she interrupted the girls.  
  
"Benthu okemmo Bamarrian?"  
  
Ella was Areida stared at her blankly. Relina was disappointed and went back to her work.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ella touched her shoulder.  
  
"Oh," Relina looked up, "Nothing. I, I just thought you could speak my language. That's all." When the girls looked confused, Relina explained. "I thought I heard you speak Bamarrian to each other."  
  
Ella knotted her eyebrows, and then her face cleared. "We were speaking Ayorthaian. It's Areida's native tongue, and I'm learning from her."  
  
"Oh. It sounded a lot like Bamarrian. Could you say something in Ayorthaian again?"  
  
Areida said a couple more things in Ayorthaian, and Relina nodded, satisfied. It confirmed her theory.  
  
"I think Ayorthaian and Bamarrian came from the same roots, that's why the two languages are so similar," she explained. [A/N: like French and Spanish come from Latin roots]  
  
"Wow! I'd love to learn a new language, would you teach me?" Ella became excited.  
  
"Ella is very good at languages," Areida put in. "Could, could you teach me too? If it's similar to Ayorthaian, then it wouldn't be that hard."  
  
"Only if you teach me Ayorthaian," Relina replied with a smile. She was beginning to like it here.  
  
~*~  
  
Thanks so much for reviewing!! Don't worry about the pairings, 'cause it'll be all right.  
  
If you want to see a picture of Relina, go to:   
  
members.rogers.com/maplerose/relina1.jpg  
  
I changed her eye colour to brown instead of green because it fits the picture better. The original looks better on paper, but my scanner is messed. The bands on the dress are supposed to be silver. 


End file.
